Associated Press Worldstream
July 1, 2004 Thursday
Armenian forces detain Azerbaijani soldier in Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenia forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory detained an
Azerbaijani soldier who allegedly crossed into Armenian-held land,
authorities said Thursday.
The Azerbaijani soldier, identified as Gusein Aidyn of the Azerbaijani
capital, Baku, was detained along the eastern section of
Nagorno-Karabakh border on Wednesday, officials in Nagorno-Karabakh
said.
Armenian-backed forces won control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a largely
ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, after a 1988-94 war. More than
30,000 people were killed and a million driven from their homes during
the conflict.
Despite a cease-fire, the two countries continue to face off across a
heavily fortified no man’s land, and shooting occasionally erupts.
Nagorno-Karabakh officials said they notified the International
Committee of the Red Cross and the Organization of Security and
Cooperation in Europe about the detention, and that the Red Cross was
welcome to visit the captured soldier.
Meanwhile, in Azerbaijan, the Foreign Ministry said it was concerned
about the U.S. Congress’ move to grant US$5 million in aid to
Nagorno-Karabakh. The money “could be directed at the encouragement of
illegal activity, extremism and aggressive separatism on the territory
of Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
July 2, 2004 Friday
Prospects for cooperation in fighting organized crime
By Svetlana Alikina and Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
Prospects for cooperation in fighting organized crime and cleansing the
Russian and Armenian economies of criminality will be discussed on
Friday at a meeting of the governing boards of the Russian Interior
Ministry and the Armenian police force.
Russia’s Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev and Armenian police chief
Gaik Arutyunian, as well as the leaders of the directorates subordinate
to them will take part in the meeting.
This will be the fifth meeting of the interior ministers of the two
countries since 2000, the Russian interior minister Nurgaliyev noted.
He said the creation of a common law-enforcement space of the two
states was the key priority.
The meeting will also discuss interaction in the struggle against
organized criminal groups and communities operating on an international
level. The parties also plan to dwell on fighting drug trafficking and
suppressing trade in people.
According to the Russian Interior Ministry, there has been a noticeable
reduction in the overall number of crimes committed by CIS citizens.
Lately, 254 members and 45 leaders of criminal groups organized by
natives of Armenia have been taken to criminal account; and 165
criminal cases have been opened.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
July 2, 2004 Friday
Russia, Armenia should increase protection of investment projects
By Stanislav Alikin, Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
Russian and Armenian law enforcement bodies should boost cooperation
in protecting bilateral investigation projects from criminal
encroachments, said on Friday Russian Interior Minister Rashid
Nurgaliev, speaking in Yerevan at a meeting of the leaderships of the
Russian Interior Ministry and Armenian police.
He noted that “mutual interests of Russia and Armenia are considerable
and cover all spheres of economic and political life”. “Positive
processes in relations of our countries are influenced by various
threats, including crime. We face now common tasks: we have something
to protect from criminal encroachments, and for this purpose we have
all necessary things,” Nurgaliev emphasized.
According to the minister, “it is very important now for Russia to
have support from sisterly states in settling domestic law enforcement
questions. Incidentally, Armenia is given a special role among these
states”. For one, the minister continued, “I mean struggle against
terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, illegal immigration, trade in
people, banditry and economic crime”.
Nurgaliev also suggested that his colleagues from Armenian police
should boost cooperation in implementing anti-terrorist measures,
ensuring security of vital projects and implementing measures on
protection of public law and order.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
July 2, 2004 Friday
Armenian Foreign Minister to visit Russia on July 5-7
By Syuzanna Adamiants, Alexandra Urusova
MOSCOW
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian will visit Russia on July
5-7, a source at the Russian Foreign Ministry’s information department
told Itar-Tass on Friday.
Oskanian is expected to meet with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei
Lavrov, and the chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS affairs and
ties with compatriots, Andrei Kokoshin.
The two parties will focus on cooperation in the CIS format, including
in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and the Eurasian
Economic Community (EurAsEC). They will also discuss pooling the two
foreign ministry’s efforts to improve the situation in the North
Caucasus.
“The Nagorno-Karabakh problem will be of special attention,” the source
said. “Russia is ready to help settle the conflict and take on the role
of a guarantor to an agreement the two parties will come to.”
Russia and Armenia will also touch upon the development of trade,
economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

Federal Information and News Dispatch, Inc.
State Department
July 2, 2004
Robin Phillips is New USAID Mission Director for Armenia; Agency
veteran was sworn in recently in Washington
TEXT: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has
announced its new mission director for Armenia, Robin Phillips, who has
worked for the agency for 20 years.
A press release provides biographical information about Phillips. It
also notes that USAID has committed $57 million to Armenia for projects
focusing on private sector development, energy sector reform, democracy
building, healthcare, social transition, and water management.
Following is the text:
(begin text)
U.S. Agency for International Development
Washington, D.C.

June 29, 2004
USAID Swears In New Mission Director for Armenia
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
announced the swearing in of Robin Phillips as the USAID Mission
Director for Armenia. Carol Peasley, Counselor for the U.S. Agency for
International Development, will preside over the ceremony at the
agency’s headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown
Washington.
Mr. Phillips has worked for USAID since 1984, when he accepted a
position as an economic officer in the USAID Mission in Bridgetown,
Barbados. Since then he has been assigned as an economist, program
economist, deputy director, director and now mission director. These
assignments have taken him to Nairobi, Kenya and Kampala, Uganda, as
well as Armenia.
An accomplished linguist with language skills in Chinese and Japanese,
Mr. Phillips holds multiple degrees; a bachelor’s degree from Harvard
in language studies, a master’s of art in Asian Studies and Political
Science from Stanford University and a master’s of science in Economics
from the London School of Economics.
The USAID mission in Armenia focuses on a wide variety of sectors, to
include, private sector development, energy sector reform, democracy
building, healthcare, social transition, and water management. Overall,
the mission is managing over $57 million in funds working to rebuild
Armenia after years of communist rule. USAID also provided humanitarian
assistance to Armenia following a massive earthquake in 1988. For more
information about USAID programs in Armenia, please visit the mission
website at .
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and
humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
Contact: USAID Press Office
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810 2004-058
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State.)

Armenia Now
July 2, 2004
Writers’ Bloc: Writers’ Bloc: Literary Conference draws authors from Armenia
and Diaspora
By Lusineh Ohanyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent More than 60 authors from 18 countries gathered in
Yerevan this week for the second All-Armenian Conference of Writers.
Organised by Armenia’s Union of Writers, the conference brought together
figures from the Republic and Diaspora to discuss developments in Armenian
literature. Levon Ananyan, President of the Union, says the first conference
in 2002 was more introductory in character since Armenian writers in
different countries had had little previous opportunity to make personal
contact.
This time, many young representatives of literature from the Diaspora
attended the event. Plenary sessions covered subjects including: “Latest
achievements of Armenian literature”, “The national school and national
literature”; and “Historical memory and modern literature”.
The conference also marked two important occasions, the 70th anniversary of
the Writers Union and the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Diaspora
writer Zahrat from Constantinople. Participants traveled to Artsakh for two
days for meetings with representatives of the intelligentsia and army.
They will also take part in an event dedicated to 150th anniversary of the
great Armenian writer Muratsan. Political discussion was not on the agenda,
however, even though many of today’s Diaspora writers are public and party
figures.
The first conference agreed three measures towards greater unity of literary
organizations of the Diaspora. A constituent conference of the Armenian
Writers of California was organized in Los Angeles, USA. Then a conference
bringing together writers from the Middle East was held in Beirut, Lebanon.
Finally, a delegation from the Writers’ Union led by Ananyan and Ruben
Hovsepyan, a National Assembly deputy, organized a recent conference of
Armenian writers from Iran.
Ananyan says that, besides literary bridges, the conference also established
an All-Armenian Literary Fund to provide support for publishing books and
developing Armenian literature. A telethon organized in Armenia has
collected about $200,000 and further collections are being arranged in
Atsakh and Diaspora communities.
The third All-Armenian Conference of Writers is already being planned. It
will likely be held in two years’ time in one of the Diaspora Communities.

ArmeniaNow.com
July 2, 2004
Final Curtain: Friends and fans pay tribute to Tigran Levonyan
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow arts reporter
The art of opera in Armenia suffered a sad loss this week with the death of
director and singer Tigran Levonyan.
Levonyan, People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia and a state prize
laureate, died on June 25 aged 68. Thousands of admirers attended his
funeral service on June 29 at Yerevan’s Opera House to bid a last farewell
to the artist as the magnificent sounds of the Anush opera rang out.
Tigran Levonyan, People’s Artist .
His dramatic tenor vocals as a singer and his original way of thinking as a
stage director opened a new chapter in the history of National Opera
Theatre. Thanks to his tireless dedication, new directing style and fresh
staging he gave priceless service to the Armenian opera art.
Levonyan was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and repatriated as a child to Armenia
in 1946. He completed his musical education in singing and directing in
Yerevan and Moscow and aged just 28 he became a soloist at Yerevan’s
Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre. By 1977 he had
become the theatre’s artistic director.
His long repertoire as a singer and director included national and world
opera productions: he performed Canio (Pagliacci), Tirit (Arshak II), Saro
(Anush), Carlos (Don Carlos), Otello (Otello), Alfred (La Traviata),
Shahumyan (David Bek), Manrico (Trubadur), Cavaradossi (Toska) with great
depth of dramatic feeling, impressive acting and a delicate interpretation
of direction.
Levonyan was the first to create opera films in Armenia and thanks to his
unique directing approach he placed on screen Almast, Arshak II, and
Palmetto, which became symbols of his innovative art.
However, he suffered unfairness at the hands of government bureaucracy too.
In 1999, upon the order of the Ministry of Culture, Levonyan was dismissed
from the theatre and deprived of the right not only to stage performances
but also to sing there as well.
A letter of protest signed by 125 artists of the theatre, calling for
Levonyan to be restored as artistic director and director, was ignored. He
was subjected to a humiliating whispering campaign in the press, where
articles were printed suggesting that he had pressured people into signing
the letter.
Mourners pay their last respects to an honored artist
“Opera and stage are my life. I’m deprived of the stage so I’m deprived of
life,” said Levonyan. “Back in 1993, I declared from the stage that we need
a law on culture in order to protect the culture from the Ministry of
Culture.”
“Tigran was working and creating because ideas came like rain from his mind.
But we felt deeply insulted and the insult of ignoring us was not only ours
but of the whole art loving society,” says singer Gohar Gasparyan, who
Avetik Isahakyan described as “Armenian nightingale”.
“He left unvalued, denied. Moreover, the reason for his illness was the
unending sense of outrage he felt, which did not subside in his heart,” says
People’s Artist Sos Sargsyan, his voice quivering.
Even after he left the Opera House, Levonyan did not stop creating. On the
occasion of 1700 th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia in 2001, he
staged open air performances of Anush and Palmetto at Zvartnots temple.
Choreographer Vilen Galstyan says that instead of organizing a lavish
funeral service for him, the State should have better appreciated his talent
during his life.
“It’s the Armenian option – ‘go die and I’ll love you’,” says Galstyan.

ArmeniaNow.com
July 2, 2004
Too Far from Home?: Parents fret over treatment of their children at school
in India
By Gayane Lazarian ArmeniaNow reporter
Alvard Gevorgyan strokes her 10-year-old daughter Mariam’s head and says
agitatedly: “It was very hard to get my baby back, I thought I would never
see her again. When she returned, she was sick and ridden with ticks and
lice. The skin on her head was covered in sores.”
Mariam is one of 30 children who were sent to India to be educated at the
Calcutta Charitable Seminary under an assistance program agreed with the
Armenian Apostolic Church. She was just seven when she left Armenia in 2001.
Alvard Gevorgyan says her daughter Mariam won’t return to school in India
“The teachers didn’t allow us to write bad things in letters. If they saw
such a letter they would tear it into pieces but when my ma called I told
her, ‘mama-jan do something, take me away from here’,” she says.
Alvard, her husband and their two daughters live in the dilapidated building
of former professional technical school Number 18 located in the Tnkaran
district three kilometers from Echmiatsin. It is rat-infested and she says
she is too ashamed of conditions in the building to invite guests to visit.
Under the educational program, children from impoverished backgrounds are
offered the chance to go to India to study at the Seminary’s boarding
school. Places went first to those in orphanages, followed by children from
single-parent families and those living in conditions of extreme hardship.
Alvard is a disabled veteran of the Karabakh War. She feels she was misled
about the conditions her daughter would encounter in Calcutta, although the
girl felt that the quality of education she received there was much better
than she would have got in Armenia and she has in fact learned good English.
Mariam was in the first group selected to go to India in 2001. The family
applied for a place after seeing television advertisements about the
program. They met a priest who explained that parents who sent their
children to school in India were unlikely to see them again for ten years.
Nevertheless, Alvard signed up, believing it offered the best prospects for
her daughter.
Mariam points at a photograph of herself at the airport as she prepared to
leave with the group for India. A priest, Father Ghevond, traveled to India
with the children and ensured they were well looked after. Mariam says
everything went well while he was there, but problems began when he returned
to Armenia after the first year.
“In the beginning it was good but later. I only regret that I could not
complete my studies. But the teachers beat and insulted us. There were
children who were even listening to our telephone conversations and
afterwards running to tell the teachers what we were talking about,” she
says.
Alvard says she faced considerable difficulties in getting her daughter back
and had to borrow money from the Mayor of Echmiatsin to pay for a ticket to
secure her return.
“The school didn’t want to send my child back until they received the
money,” she says angrily.
Another child who returned home is 13-year-old Vardan Manukyan. He says: “It
‘s true that I was missing my home but if everything had been all right in
India I would have stayed there. Sometimes when me and my friends were
quarreling, the teachers told us ‘you are guilty’ and beat us. Yes, we ate
three times a day but I did not like the food.”
Verdun ‘s mother Geghetsik Manukyan says that when he called her he would
complain about the seminary and ask her to bring him back to Armenia. She
appealed for help to the Catholicos and the Indian ambassador in Armenia,
but finally she arranged by herself for him to come home.
“You should have seen my son when he returned. It was February here but he
was still dressed in his summer clothes from Calcutta . He was sick. Why did
they treat them that way? When we sent our children there they were healthy
but not when they returned,” she says.
The Calcutta Charitable Seminary was founded in 1821 and is one of the
oldest educational institutions of the Diaspora, where people from Armenian
communities in New Julfa and Isfahan in Iran, and Iraq used to visit as
well. It has functioned constantly during that time, enjoying all the
privileges granted by India to educational institutions.
However, by 2000 only five pupils were enrolled there and the school was in
danger of closing. It was at this time that the plan was worked out to offer
places to children in Armenia to study in India.
The seminary covers all of the pupils’ expenses including food, uniform, and
school supplies, and provides them with pocket money of about 500 drams per
month. At Christmas, each receives 15,000 drams (about $30), while birthdays
are celebrated with a gift.
Deacon Tigran Baghumyan is the cleric responsible for coordinating the
Calcutta project at the Holy See of Echmiatsin.
He has heard the complaints from children but doubts that they have been ill
treated or had their letters censored. Nevertheless, he intends to travel to
India to investigate for himself.
“The program pursues only one goal. People who cannot even complete an
elementary education in Armenia are able to get a complete education in
Calcutta with support from the Holy See,” he says.
He says there are plans to send another 30 children to the seminary this
year and there are many more applicants than places. However, he
acknowledges that some of those who have already gone have become homesick
or have found it difficult to adapt to their new surroundings in Calcutta.
Deacon Tigran plans to investigate the complaints
“I know about the seminary and its activities very well. I have met with
parents who have complained that the condition of their children’s health is
bad. Of course, the environment and climate in India are severe and it is
hard to adapt. At present, there are eight children in Armenia who don’t
want to return.”
Deacon Tigran says the program is being adapted in response to parental
concerns. Children will soon have their own email accounts where they can
send letters directly to their families. A centre will soon be established
in Yerevan where parents will be able to go to make free telephone calls to
their children and have access to the internet.
The Church also intends to arrange flights home each summer holiday so that
children can spend time with their families. The visits started this year,
with children arriving in Armenia on June 12 until August 10.
Fifteen-year-old Andranik Matevosyan is one of those on holiday from the
seminary. He agrees that teachers are very strict and do hit children both
with the hand and a stick, though he says he was never beaten.
“They often punish and in that case they don’t allow them to swim in the
pool and watch TV. If you talk when you eat they order you to stand up and
you have to eat standing,” Andranik says.
His mother Karineh Kirakosyan is unconcerned. She says: “If a child
misbehaves no problem if he is given a slap. I won’t feel bad. It’s a
school. If they attend that school they must endure everything and continue
to study.”
There are plans to fly a group of parents to India later this year so that
they can see conditions in the seminary for themselves and help to alleviate
the fears of other families in Armenia.
According to the deacon, social conditions have improved recently for many
parents in Armenia and as a result they want their children to return to
live with them again. He says the Church in its turn does not exert any
pressure for the children to stay in Calcutta. The biggest issue is usually
that the children miss their parents too much.
“In such cases we let children and parents decide,” says Deacon Tigran.
He says the Holy See has replied officially to letters from parents that
contained requests for medical treatment following the children’s return
from India. The families were informed in writing that Echmiatsin is ready
to cover expenses connected with their children’s medical problems and to
treat them at the Saint Nerses the Great hospital in Yerevan. However, the
parents have rejected this offer.
“I don’t know the reason, but they probably expected to get money from the
Church in compensation,” he says.
Alvard insists that she will never place her child in the Church’s care
again. She wants compensation at least for her telephone bill in making
calls to India to arrange for her daughter’s return.
The seminary in Calcutta, India
At present, about 50 children have returned to Armenia from the Calcutta
seminary for the summer vacation. Deacon Tigran says he has talked with many
of them and the complaints from some of the parents do not reflect the
experiences of the majority.
The seminary has 118 pupils now, 81 boys and 37 girls. The vast majority –
78 – come from Armenia with 35 from Iran, four from India, and one Armenian
from Iraq.
Vardan says he learnt English, Russian, and Indian languages during his time
there as well as subjects related to Armenia. He is adamant that he will not
return to Calcutta, although he regrets deeply that he has not completed his
studies there.
“I knew that if I learned then I would become a normal man,” he says.
Andranik is among those who returned sick to Armenia and he spent 15 days in
Echmiatsin’s infectious diseases hospital. But he is waiting impatiently for
the day when he will return to India. He prizes the education offered at the
school and says it will help him to get a good career.
“If I stayed in Armenia my mother couldn’t give me such education. No
problem, I will bear these years of separation,” he says.

Bidders vie for $5bn MGM studio
By Peter Thal Larsen and James Politi in New York
Financial Times
Jul 02, 2004
Shares in MGM rose yesterday amid hopes that a bidding war is about to
break out for the last independent Hollywood studio.
Time Warner has made a preliminary offer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which
values the studio at slightly less than a $5bn cash and debt bid from
Sony, people familiar with the talks said.
However, Time Warner’s bid could prove more attractive because it
involves paying Kirk Kerkorian, the billionaire investor who has a
controlling stake in MGM, in shares rather than cash.
Time Warner has examined a purchase of MGM several times in the
past. A deal is also considered less of a priority for Time Warner
than for Sony, which needs to bulk up its film library.
MGM told investors at its annual meeting on Tuesday that it was still
considering multiple options for its future.
“As it turned out, we have more strategic alternatives available to us
than we realised,” said Alex Yemenidjian, chief executive.
Talks are expected to continue for the next few weeks, and no
announcement is imminent. MGM shares closed up 56 cents at $12.66.
While Sony is seen as the more motivated buyer, Time Warner has a
close knowledge of the studio.
People close to the negotiations said it may also be interested
because MGM has the rights to distribute any film based on The Hobbit,
the book by JR R Tolkien which preceded the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Time Warner’s New Line Cinema subsidiary released the Lord of the
Rings films, which have taken almost $3bn at the box office
worldwide. It also has the rights to make a movie version of The
Hobbit, but would have to come to an agreement with MGM before it
could be released. Given the huge success of Lord of the Rings, those
distribution rights could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
That said, there are no current plans to make the film as Peter
Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of the Lord of the Rings series
who would be the most likely to lead the production, is currently
working on a version of King Kong.
Time Warner’s offer, which is non-binding and subject to due
diligence, envisages paying MGM’s public shareholders around $13 per
share in cash – similar to Sony’s proposal.
However, Mr Kerkorian would then receive Time Warner shares in
exchange for his MGM stock at a lower valuation.

MGM shares rise on bidding war hopes
By Peter Thal Larsen and James Politi in New York
FT.com site
Jul 01, 2004
Shares in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer rose on Thursday amid hopes that a
bidding war is about to break out for the last independent Hollywood
studio.
Time Warner, the giant media group, has made a preliminary offer for
MGM which values the studio at slightly less than a $5bn cash and debt
bid fromSony, people familiar with the talks said. However, Time
Warner’s bid could prove more attractive because it involves paying
Kirk Kerkorian, the billionaire investor who has a controlling stake
in MGM, in shares rather than cash.
Time Warner has examined a purchase of MGM several times in the
past. A deal is also considered less of a priority for Time Warner
than for Sony, which needs to bulk up its film library.
MGM told investors at its annual meeting on Tuesday that it was still
considering multiple options for its future. “As it turned out, we
have more strategic alternatives available to us than we realized,”
said Alex Yemenidjian, MGM’s chief executive.
Talks are expected to continue for the next few weeks, and no
announcement is imminent. MGM shares closed up 56 cents at $12.66 on
Thursday.
While Sony is seen as the more motivated buyer, Time Warner has a
close knowledge of the studio. People close to the negotiations said
it may also be interested because MGM has the rights to distribute any
film based on The Hobbit, the book by J.R.R. Tolkien which preceded
Lord of the Rings.
Time Warner’s New Line Cinema subsidiary released the Lord of the
Rings films, which have taken almost $3bn at the box office
worldwide. It also has the rights to make a movie version of The
Hobbit, but would have to come to an agreement with MGM before it
could be released. Given the huge success of Lord of the Rings, those
distribution rights could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
That said, there are no current plans to make the film as Peter
Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of the Lord of the Rings series
who would be the most likely to lead the production, is currently
working on a version of King Kong.
Time Warner’s offer, which is non-binding and subject to due
diligence, envisages paying MGM’s public shareholders around $13 per
share in cash – similar to Sony’s proposal. However, Mr Kerkorian
would then receive Time Warner shares in exchange for his MGM stock at
a lower valuation.